


Interlude 1

by alicecrow6



Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Batkids Age Reversal, Damian Wayne is Red X, Duke Thomas is Lark, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27814960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicecrow6/pseuds/alicecrow6
Summary: This is part of a series of Batkids Age Reversal fics where Damian comes first, then Harper, then Duke and so on.Duke Thomas- Lark (15)Raven (15)Beast boy (14)Starfire (16)Cyborg (18)
Relationships: Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas & Starfire & Raven & Beast Boy & Cyborg, Harper Row & Duke Thomas
Series: An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998205
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Interlude 1

Duke blinked at the utter chaos going on around him. If Damian and Harper were here they would sneer at his team, they’d call them amateurs, and then go fix the problem in less than half the time it would take the Titans to fix it.

Duke grinned at the thought.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck” was all that Cyborg seemed to be able to say at the moment. Duke was fifty percent sure that he was malfunctioning.

“We’re all going to die,” Beast Boy panicked. Raven hit him on the back of the head as he ran past.

“You're giving me a headache, stop panicking so loud,” Raven hissed.

“Raven! Don't be mean!” Starfire yelled before getting yanked out of the air and thrown into a trashcan.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck”

Beast Boy turned into an elephant and attempted to charge but Red X just tricked him into charging into a wall.

Duke felt like facepalming.

He heard Raven start to mutter before black energy started to surround her hands.

An hour later and the “asshole” escaped.

Duke clapped his hands together.

“Congrats! You utterly failed this assessment,” Duke said cheerfully.

He got blank faces in return.

“Assessment?” Raven asked dangerously.

“This was to see if you were able to work together. Somehow working together was the last thought to come into your minds,” Duke shrugs.

“Are you saying that you tricked us into thinking we were in actual danger so that you could see how we would react?” Starfire asked.

Duke instantly felt bad.

Was that- was that a dick move?

God, they were right, this was totally something Bruce or Damian would pull.

Was- was he becoming more and more like Blackbird and Batman?

“Sorry, I just wanted to get you guys to realize that we need to work together,” Duke said apologetically.

“Wait hold up! Who was that Red X dude then?” Beastboy shouted.

“Oh, that was my brother Blackbird,” Duke says with a shrug.

“Batman’s og partner Blackbird?” Cyborg asked, seeming to stop glitching at the moment.

“Yup,” Duke popped his p.

“Why didn't you just tell us? Why did you have to come up with this highly convoluted plan and humiliate us?” Starfire asked, sincerity in her eyes as she tried desperately to understand.

Duke felt even more awful.

“It’s because he’s an asshole,” Raven hissed. She was still covered in red paint, which was a bit extreme of Damian.

“Yeah!” Beastboy crowed in agreement.

“I’m sorry. Your right, I should have just brought up the issue to you guys but I guess I’ve just gotten so used to saying things without actually saying things that this seemed easier for some reason,” Duke could admit when he was wrong, and he was definitely in the wrong.

Starfire forgave him immediately, Raven narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before nodding, Beastboy humphed, and Cyborg gave him a long look.

“It wasn't cool of you but as long as you don't do it again I don't think we should have any problems,” Cyborg finally said.

Then he went back to fixing up any bugs that Damian may have infected him with.

“How did it go?” Harper asked him when he got back home.

“I learned a valuable lesson,” Duke jumped onto the couch and made himself home on it.

“Oh?” Harper asked as she turned a page of her book

“Yeah, sometimes it’s just easier to talk to people,” Duke’s voice was muffled as he spoke through the pillow he had shoved his face into.

“I could have told you that,” Harper snorted.

Duke quietly got up from the couch.

Duke crept towards her distracted form, then, when she wasn't looking, he pounced.

“Stop, stop!” Harper shouted, laughter just a breath away.

“Never!” Duke said evilly as his knuckles ruthlessly dug onto her head.

“Bro, what the fuck?” Duke asked when “Red X” confronted them once more.

“Just making sure your team’s up to par,” Damian said as he dodged a blast.

This time, they beat his ass.

“So, how are things with your team?” Bruce asks when they’re having dinner. Damian’s out on patrol so it’s just him and Bruce.

“They're okay, still not sure why you wanted me to make a new team when I already have a team,” Duke shrugs but his eyes are sharp as he listens carefully to what Bruce might have to say.

“That’s different Duke. Damian and Harper are your family, what you need are friends,” Bruce cuts up a bit of his meat, he pops it in his mouth.

“This coming from Batman?” Duke jokes.

“This coming from your concerned guardian,” Bruce says firmly. 

The two continue to eat in silence before Duke starts to speak again.

“Why don't you make Damian make a team?” he asks. Bruce chews thoughtfully, waiting till all the food is gone from his mouth before speaking.

“He’s not ready, he’s still prickly and rude. He needs to get better with people overall before I ever allow him to join a team,” Duke raises his eyebrows at the description. 

Damian may not be the easiest to get along with for some people but Duke knows that once you get past the prickly exterior he’s fun to hang around with.

“He’s my team leader,” Duke says instead of any of what he was thinking. Because Bruce will react best to facts and statements rather than opinion.

He’ll react better to Duke showing proof that Damian is better than that.

“Again, that’s different. You and Harper are family to him. But he’s not yet ready for friends,” Bruce tries to shut the thought down but Duke isn't ready to let this go.

“Harper was his friend before she became his family,” Duke says calmly, food forgotten in favor of this far more important discussion.

“No, Harper was his student before becoming his family. It’s the same thing for you too,” that was a technicality at best but Bruce would never see it that way. How could Duke convey that that was just how Damian made friends.

“I think you're severely underestimating him,” there, concise and to the point.

“Perhaps, but to be safe I’d like to give it a few years,” Bruce finishes the last of his meal before cutting a slice of Alfred’s pie to transfer to his own plate.

“Alright,” it was most certainly not alright but Duke knew when to let things go to fight about another day.

Bruce gracefully eats his pie and Duke wonders how someone could gracefully eat anything,

“So why did you choose those specific people to be part of your Teen Titans?” Bruce asks just as he’s getting to the last of his desert.

“Because none of them have back up,” Duke looks down at his plate. He moves a few vegetables around with his fork.

“What do you mean?” Bruce leans back into his chair, observing Duke.

“They’re kid heroes without a support network. Most kid heroes have mentors, someone to fall back on. These guys are all on their own and I want them to know that they have someone,” Duke shrugs bashfully and Bruce grins at him.

“That’s kind of you Duke,” Bruce complements.

**Author's Note:**

> Duke Thomas- Lark (15)  
> Raven (15)  
> Beast boy (14)  
> Starfire (16)  
> Cyborg (18)


End file.
